


Bathrooms and Bike Shorts

by writingonpostcards



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, M/M, Pre-Relationship, Trapped In A Closet, except it's not a closet it's a bathroom there just wasn't a tag for that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-13
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-10-18 07:55:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10612551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writingonpostcards/pseuds/writingonpostcards
Summary: Jack has a wardrobe issue, and that somehow leads to him and Bitty being locked in a bathroom together.“And, again, I’m sorry for dragging you in here,” Jack continues with the same sincere tone. “If you need to leave, you can. I don’t want to be keeping you from something.”“No. I don’t mind keeping you company.”





	

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my sister for sharing a story about her geography teacher which inspired this story.

Bitty gets a series of texts from Jack just minutes before their shared class is due to start. Bitty is alarmed for several reasons—Jack’s preference for sending single texts, and the fact that Jack is normally in class before Bitty at the top of the list.

**Jack 9:56** _Are there seats in the back row?_

**Jack 9:57** _Can you move to the back row and save me one_

 **Jack 9:57** _Near the door on the east side_

 **Jack 9:57** _Please_

 **Jack 9:58** _??_

Bitty isn’t sure what’s going on, but he gathers his stuff quickly, dumping it into his bag, and heads to the back row near the specified door, trying to type as he goes.

**Bitty 9:59** _I’ve moved. Got a seat for you. Everything okay?_

**Jack 9:59** _Is anyone near you?_

Bitty looks around.

 **Bitty 10:00** _A few people further down the row, and about five rows in front. Teacher just walked in and is setting up._

Bitty looks around to the door, holding his phone in case it buzzes again with a message from Jack.

The teacher calls the class to attention and there’s still no sign of Jack. It’s not like him to miss class. Bitty wants to go out and find him to see what’s going on, but he can’t now that the teacher has seen him. He gets out his books and pen again, and focuses to the front, keeping his phone visible on the desk just in case.

He keeps an ear out for the door, and just as Professor Miao begins her lecture, he hears it opening. It’s almost like Jack was waiting until he knew she’d started.

Jack sticks his head through the gap and looks around nervously. He meets eyes with Bitty, who raises eyebrows at him, trying to get some clue as to what Jack’s been texting him for. As Jack pushes the door open slowly, and hurries quietly in, practically tiptoeing over to the seat Bitty has saved for him, Bitty thinks he knows what Jack’s been worried about.

Jack—beautiful, athletic man though he may be—is not narcissistic. Nor is he comfortable all the time with how his hockey body seems to draw eyes in crowds. And poor Jack, in his outfit, he’d be drawing a lot of attention had he walked in among the other classmates. Bitty actually feels himself blushing on behalf of Jack, and he’s seen this boy naked in locker rooms.

“Crisse,” Jack hisses under his breath as he sits next to Bitty, hurriedly drawing the desk up over his lap. “This morning has been horrible.”

“What happened?” Bitty whispers, looking around to see whether anyone is giving them glares for talking during class. They’re not.

“Forgot to bring spare pants to the gym this morning, and, well,” Jack shuffles on his seat, clearly uncomfortable in his state of dress.

“No-one noticed you coming in,” Bitty reassures. He actually doesn’t know if that’s true though, seeing as _he_ noticed Jack’s entry—very much noticed—and not much else besides that.

“Thank you for doing this,” Jack says emphatically.

Bitty smiles and pats him on the arm, before turning back to the front.

He tries to pay attention in class, but the knowledge of Jack sitting next to him looking like that is a little distracting. He takes notes that probably won’t mean anything later, but thankfully, it seems Jack slips easily into academia—no hockey plays in his margins today.

When Professor Miao excuses them, Jack grabs Bitty firmly by the shoulder to keep him in his seat.

“Ow,” Bitty grumbles.

Jack immediately withdraws his hand, apparently unaware of the strength he’d been exerting.

“Sorry, Bittle. I just... can we stay till everyone’s cleared out?” Jack asks sheepishly.

“Oh, of course.”

Bitty takes twice as long packing away his things, trying to give the illusion of having an excuse to be sitting after they’ve been excused. Jack has no qualms about appearances. Well, about _this_ facet of appearance. He’s just sitting here, watching their classmates exit.

“You don’t have to glare at them all,” Bitty whispers, as Jack stares down a poor girl who nearly trips going past them on the stairs. “They ain’t done nothing wrong.”

Jack turns to Bitty, glare still in place. Bitty’s mostly immune now, and doesn’t mind. Jack blinks and the expression drops.

“Didn’t realise,” he states.

“I think they’re all out now, anyways.”

Jack nods.

Bitty stands up, bag over his shoulder, but Jack doesn’t move.

“You coming?”

“Working up to it.” Jack taps his fingers on the top of the tray-desk. “Could you... Would you mind seeing if anyone’s out there?” Jack asks a little shyly.

“Sure.”

Outside, all the students have cleared out of this part of the hallway. “You’re all good, Jack.”

Jack takes a visible breath, then stands up quickly, and lifts his backpack to cover his crotch area. Bitty is glad (though also a little let down). Jack’s ass is still prominently on display though, but that’s hard to hide in regular circumstances.

They make their way into the corridor together, Jack nervously checking side to side and behind him. It makes Bitty’s neck sore to see it. Bitty itches to talk and get more of the story, or just plain distract Jack, but he gets the sense Jack isn’t really looking for a distraction right now.

After travelling half the way down the corridor, there’s the obvious sound of a group of people approaching, and Jack grabs Bitty and pulls him roughly to the end of the corridor and into the disabled bathroom, which he then locks behind them.

“Jack!” Bitty rubs at his arm.

“Fuck, Bits. I’m sorry. I panicked.”

“I can tell,” Bitty grouses.

Jack drops his backpack and Bitty can’t help but drop his eyes down to where the lycra bike shorts cling to Jack’s body. He sighs and turns himself away before Jack can notice.

Outside, the sound of chatting passes closely by the door, and continues on.

“I just really don’t want people to see me,” Jack confesses quietly once they’ve moved on.

“I get that.” _Not that you’ve anything to be ashamed of_ , Bitty thinks to himself.

They wait, listening for the sounds of people. Bitty counts the seconds in his head, wondering when Jack’s going to realise it’s strange to be locked in a bathroom together, or whether maybe Bitty should point that out himself. Also, he has a meeting for a group project he’s meant to be at in an hour.

Unfortunately, when Bitty reaches thirty seconds, more voices drift past and then stay nearby.

“This is just getting worse.” Jack sounds huffy and frustrated.

“Well,” Bitty says. “Let’s think of how to make it better.”

Jack—who’s been leaning his forehead against the locked door, making Bitty shudder—looks over his shoulder at Bitty, waiting.

Bitty verbalises his thoughts. “So, the options seem to be you just walk back to the Haus like that and get changed, you stay locked in here until it’s dark and then walk back, or we find a way to get you some proper pants. That sound right?”

Jack nods and then sits down cross legged on the floor, back against the door. Bitty shudders—it’s like the green couch all over again. Also, Jack’s position just draws even more attention to the lycra moulding itself against certain parts of him in particular.

Bitty sits down beside Jack with the naive hope that it will be less distracting than facing him front on.

Jack reiterates his earlier statement. “I don’t want to walk to the Haus like this.”

“Okay, so that leaves stay here till nightfall, or get you some pants.”

“Staying here doesn’t sound so bad.”

“I’ve got two muffins, a slice of pie, and an energy bar in my bag,” Bitty informs Jack.

“I’ve got two Gatorades, an apple, some almonds, maybe a sandwich, and I think also an energy bar.”

“Well, considering your appetite, we can last for maybe... twenty minutes,” Bitty teases.

Jack laughs and elbows Bitty in the side. “Come on, if we’re sticking it out, I’ll be in survival mode. I can make it at _least_ an hour.”

Bitty tries to smother his laugh behind his hand, aware that there are people outside who might hear. Not that that would be the end of the world, as apparently being seen in bike shorts would be for Jack.

Bitty sighs out and Jack stops laughing.

“Get some pants,” they say in unison.

“Is anyone at the house?” Jack asks.

“I don’t know everyone’s schedules. Uh, maybe Holster?” Bitty guesses.

Holster is not at the house. He answers the call from the middle of his lecture—Bitty and Jack lock eyes incredulously at that—and tells them that Ransom should be.

Ransom is indeed at the house, but about to leave for a class in the opposite direction to Jack and Bitty, so he only manages to get a pair of jeans out for Jack—keeping up a running commentary the entire time of what he thought of Jack’s room and neatly organised drawers—and leaves them on the kitchen table for someone else.

“Do we wait for someone to see Ransom’s note? What if they don’t get there for ages?” Bitty worries.

“We’ve got food, water, and a toilet. I think we’ll be fine for a while.”

“Jack, as much as I enjoy spending time with you-”

“Me too.”

Bitty smiles despite himself.

“I _do not_ want to spend any more time in here,” Bitty gestures emphatically to the toilet, “than I have to.”

“It’s not the most roma—ah, pleasant of settings, eh.”

“Not at all,” Bitty says automatically, but managing to simultaneously freak out, having caught on to Jack’s half-spoken word. Bitty wants to point it out, but he also doesn’t want to. What if he just imagined it?

Outside, the talking continues, and Bitty passes time eavesdropping. Jack brings his bag in between his crossed legs, and brings out his exercise book from class, which reminds Bitty.

“Could I borrow your notes later?”

“Why?” Jack asks.

“I, uh,” _was too distracted picturing you in lycra,_ “didn’t understand the points on ersatz.”

Jack laughs and shakes his head. “Of course, that’s the one topic that stumps you. Fake food substitution. I’ll type them up tonight and give you a copy.”

“Thanks, Jack. I really—”

Jack’s phone rings. He tilts the screen so Bitty can see it. Incoming call from Shitty.

He puts in on speaker phone.

“Hey, Shitty.”

“Jack! Brah! What’s this about you needing pants?”

“Yeah, I, uh, didn’t pack any to change into after my workout. Could you bring them to me? I’m in the social sciences building.”

“Yeah, of course. They’re in my bag and I’m on my way. You hiding out somewhere specific?”

“How do you know I’m hiding out?”

“Coz there’s no way you’re walking your fine hockey ass around in bike shorts, bro, come on. I know you’ve got weird opinions on workout clothes as actual clothing.”

Jack looks to Bitty and rolls his eyes.

“We’re in the disabled bathroom near the Clancy Adam lecture hall on level two.”

“We?” Shitty asks.

Jack looks to Bitty. Bitty leans in closer to the phone. “Hi, Shitty.”

“Bitty! My man! Jack dragged you in to his hideout?”

“Literally, in fact,” Bitty teases.

Shitty laughs down the line as Jack tries to defend himself, but eventually cuts him off, by saying, “Bitty’s probably the best of us to be stuck in a confined space with.”

“Why’s that?” Bitty asks.

“Coz you’re so fucking small!”

Shitty starts off laughing again, and Bitty hangs up on him in retaliation.

“Oh, sorry.” Bitty looks up to Jack, bitting his lips worriedly. “Hope that was alright.”

“You’re fine. He is right, though.”

“About the small thing,” Bitty says flatly.

“No. About being the best person to be stuck with,” Jack says softly, and with sincerity.

Bitty flushes and looks away from his eager gaze. Maybe he hadn’t imagined Jack’s half spoken word early.

“And, again, I’m sorry for dragging you in here,” Jack continues with the same tone, bringing Bitty back to the present. “If you need to leave, you can. I don’t want to be keeping you from something.”

Bitty received a text earlier pushing his group meeting back an hour, so when he answers it’s the truth. “No. I don’t mind keeping you company.”

Jack breaks into a smile, eyes crinkling at the corner. “No pies to bake?”

“Not at the moment. Though I feel like I should make you one in commiseration for your morning.”

“You don’t have to,” Jack says immediately, the only person Bitty has ever known to turn down his offer of baked goods. Bitty can never be certain if it’s to do with dietary requirements, or a sense of hospitality.

“I was probably going to bake one tonight anyway, I’m just lettin’ you choose which flavour.”

“Okay, I guess... You haven’t done pear in a while.”

“That’s coz pears are out of season.”

“Oh.” Jack frowns down at the ground, a look which today makes him seem younger, closer to Bitty’s twenty than he normally appears, what with the muscles and the height. “What about apple then?”

“Apple it is,” Bitty agrees, already going over the ingredient list in his head. “Might have to go get some more cinnamon though,” he mutters to himself.

“I’ll go with you,” Jack offers, having heard. “This was my only class today.” Bitty knew that already.

“Yeah. I know.” Oops. He did not mean to say that.

Jack blinks at him. “I thought you didn’t have anyone’s schedules memorised?”

“Oh, well, I, uh...” Bitty rambles. Truth is, he’s just more aware of Jack coming and going from the Haus than the other team members. “I guess I know yours more because you’re across the hall from me,” Bitty says in a half truth, with a shrug that he hopes gives the impression he hasn’t really thought about it before.

Jack nods. “Right. I think I probably know Shitty’s the best for a similar reason.”

A loud knock on the door startles Bitty into jumping. His shoulder knocks into Jack’s.

“You talking about me in there?”

 _Shitty_ , Jack mouth unnecessarily at Bitty.

Bitty stands up and dusts off the bottom of his pants, stepping back to give Jack room to open the door.

Jack opens the door a fraction for Shitty to slip in through, which he does quickly and with his phone out.

“Say cheese!” Shitty grins devilishly at Jack and takes a photo before Jack’s figured out what’s going on.

Bitty tries to muffle his laughter behind his hands, but Jack catches him anyway.

“Hey!” He chastises them both at once. “Come on, Shits. Bittle. Guys.”

Bitty continues laughing as Shitty spews ridiculous phrases like ‘work it, Zimms’, and ‘now give me playful’ as he takes more and more photographs while Jack fidgets and alternates between trying to cover his face or crotch, and turning his front away from the camera, to which Shitty begins composing limericks to Jack’s ass. Bitty is fairly certain Shitty is filming now, and sneaks behind him to confirm, and also to stay out of frame. It’s effective in confirming his suspicions. Shitty is sending a series of snapchats to the SMH group, which explains the repeated buzzing of Bitty’s phone in his pocket.

Shitty turns the camera around onto Bitty suddenly. “Look at the blushing fucker! Brought to tears by the glory of the Zimmer-ass!”

“Shitty. Oh my god. Stop it,” Bitty moans, holding his hand out in front of him to block the camera.

“Payback,” Jack near shouts to be heard over Shitty’s continued ranting.

“Just put the damn pants on, Jack,” Bitty reprimands, trying to move away from Shitty’s continued paparazzi efforts to get the pants out of Shitty’s bag for Jack. He throws them, aiming for Jack’s face, but of course Jack catches them before they get there.

Jack strips off the lycra shorts quickly, still looking at Bitty teasingly. Bitty’s staring at Jack’s thighs for too long before having the momentary clarity of mind to think to look away.

He looks over to see Shitty’s phone pointing at him.

“Shitty,” he says softly in warning.

Shitty lowers the phone. “Don’t worry,” he leans closer to whisper in Bitty’s ear. “That one I’m just sending to you.”

Bitty dreads to see what his expression will reveal.

Jack throws his lycra shorts at the two of them. They hit Bitty square in the face, which he guesses is more karma for laughing at Jack when Shitty started filming. He splutters, and yanks the fabric from his face quickly before he has the brilliant idea to smell them or something equally horrifying.

“My bad. Was aiming for Shitty,” Jack says.

“Sure, sure,” Bitty says.

“Brah!” Shitty exclaims, hand thrown over his heart. “After I brought those pants all the way for you?”

“Thanks for your efforts. Truly a feat of bravery and courage.”

Shitty bows. “You’re welcome.”

Bitty shakes his head at Jack and Shitty’s interaction. He loves seeing them in moments like this, when watching them together just perfectly reveals why they’re friends. He likes that Jack has found that.

“I should head off,” Bitty announces. “Got a group meeting.”

“We still on for pie later?” Jack asks. “I can meet you after your thing and we’ll go past the store on the way back.”

“Sounds good, Jack. I’ll text you when we’re almost done.”

“Cool.”

Bitty smiles and gives a probably very dorky wave. Jack returns it though, which makes him feel slightly less awkward. Shitty is busy typing on his phone. Bitty is sure he’ll find out what, soon.

Bitty shuts the door behind him after leaving the bathroom, and when he turns around, several random students are looking his way. He flushes quickly, and grabs the strap of his messenger back before ducking his head and leaving quickly by the nearest exit.

In those frantic moments with Shitty and all the chirping, he’d completely forgotten about trying to keep the fact that he and Jack were in the bathroom together a secret. He dreads to think what those other people thought might have been going on in there.

He pulls out his phone on the way to the group meeting, to see the team’s reaction to Shitty’s messages.

He doesn’t watch the snaps, but goes straight to the group chat to see the damage.

 **Holster** Daaaaaam Jack

 **Lardo** Film your amateur porn some other time

 **Lardo** p.s. Do you need a better DOP?

 **Ransom** DAT ASS

 **Chowder** Looks like you guys were having fun!

 **Dex** Rookie error, Jack

 **Jack** None of you are getting pie tonight.

 **Nursey** That’s not your call

 **Bitty** None of you are getting pie tonight.

 **Bitty** Except Jack. And maybe Ransom.

 **Bitty** And NOT SHITTY.

 **Shitty** Harsh. Look how much joy I’ve brought to the team, bro!

 **Chowder** He’s right :)

 **Bitty**...

 **Bitty** We’ll see

 **Lardo** That means you’re getting pie, dudes. Just keep it chill until then.

 **Nursey** That’s my line :/

 **Dex** Dude, chill

 **Holster** OOOOooooh

 **Ransom** Ooooooh

Bitty rolls his eyes and pockets his phone. The thought of having dozens of new messages after this meeting is what’s going to get him through. That, and the image of Jack is in lycra shorts.

Plus, he’s got plans to bake a pie with Jack this evening.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Can also be found among other fics on my [tumblr](17piesinseptember.tumblr.com/tagged/mine)


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